A year after winning the second annual Mountain Motor Pro Stock Invitational (MMPSI) at the 2024 Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod, Matt Giangrande is still being recognized for his accomplishment behind the wheel of Enoch Love’s Kaase-powered ‘19 Camaro. He’s been basking in the glow of that achievement, and he’s motivated to do it again in just a couple weeks at the third annual MMPSI during WSOPM on Feb. 27-March 1 at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
Qualified No. 8, Giangrande raced past 2023 runner-up Elijah Morton, 2017 NHRA Pro Stock world champion Bo Butner, and Texan Rick Cowger to face Johnny Pluchino in the $25,000 final round of the 2024 MMPSI. He set low E.T. of eliminations to knock out Pluchino, who experienced a mechanical issue. Several months later, the two met in a rematch in the final round of the Brian Olson Memorial PDRA World Finals, where Pluchino got revenge with a win.
“Winning that race was very big,” Giangrande said. “It’s like our Daytona, so if you’re gonna pick a race to win all year and you only have to win one, that is certainly the one we want to win. It was kind of surreal. We started the year off winning what is arguably the biggest race of the year, and we almost bookended it with a win at the PDRA World Finals. It just so happened we ran into probably the best car of the season in Johnny, and we lost by .015.”
When Giangrande pulled to the line for that World Finals final round, he wasn’t Matt Giangrande the underdog. He was Matt Giangrande the Mountain Motor Pro Stock Invitational winner. It’s a title he’ll proudly carry for many years.
And it wasn’t just a big deal for Giangrande and the Enoch Love Motorsports team. His cohorts in the industry recognized it too.
“I’ve worked in the automotive aftermarket a lot and I have a lot of relationships coast to coast,” Giangrande said. “People like Kurt Johnson and Norm Grimes and guys on the old Schumacher teams, they all pay attention and we’re all one big family. The ride home from that race on Monday was so surreal because the phone just never stopped. It’s a topic of conversation until right now, until the next race, right? So, the only way we can continue to enjoy that kind of response is to try and do it again.”
Giangrande and Co. aren’t getting complacent following their 2024 success. To the contrary, they’re doubling down with new and refreshed equipment. Giangrande and wife Jennifer recently picked up a refreshed engine from Jon Kaase Racing Engines and took it up to Love’s shop near Richmond, Virginia, to slide it into the frame rails. Ram Clutches, where Giangrande is the director of business development, also set the team up with some trick new equipment to R&D.
“We’ve got a few things we want to try in the in the bellhousing area, in the clutch department, and we feel like we’re going to have something,” Giangrande said. “We’ve always been a team that’s done a lot with a little, but I feel like maybe we’ve turned a corner. We’ve been able to tune the engine up a little bit. Jon’s had the ability to do a few things that we’ve been able to kind of splurge for, so I hope we see the fruits of all their hard work.”
With more than 20 cars expected to make the trip to Bradenton to compete for the $25,000 prize, Giangrande realizes the numbers it took to qualify and win last year won’t cut it this time around. That’s one reason why they’re pushing so hard to improve their program.
“Qualifying is just half the game, and if we have 20-plus cars, it’s gonna be tough to get in,” Giangrande said. “It’s gonna be a lot of great cars. I know a lot of guys have been working on their stuff. Qualifying is one thing. We’ve just gotta keep our heads down, not look too far ahead, take it one run at a time, and just concentrate on our deal. We want to win the race, but you can’t do that without a plan. I feel like we’ve got a good plan in place, and as long as we execute the plan, I feel like the results will take care of themselves.”
Giangrande and team have put in the offseason effort. Now, it’s time to see it all pay off on track.
“It takes a team of people to make this happen,” said Giangrande, who thanked car owners Enoch and Shirl Love, Ram Clutches, Jon Kaase Racing Engines, and Lenco Transmissions. “I can’t do it without my wife, Jennifer, and Tim, Joe, and Dewayne. It takes a lot of people to put forth a really good 4-second run on the racetrack. I get to enjoy those really quick 4 seconds on the racetrack, but boy, there’s a lot of work behind the scenes by everybody else to make that happen.”
This story was originally published on February 18, 2025. 
The post Matt Giangrande Motivated to Go Back to Back at Mountain Motor Pro Stock Invitational first appeared on Drag Illustrated.